Preface: MySQL for the Newbie

Mac OS X doesn't ship with its own copy of MySQL, nor does Sequel Pro. You will have to install a copy on your local machine, or connect to the MySQL server on a machine somewhere on the Internet.

Most webservers and website packages will include a MySQL installation as part of the services they provide, and usually provide external connection details to allow you to connect to them in an external program like Sequel Pro.
(See Web Hosting Providers for a list of hosting options).

Installing MySQL on your own Mac

There are several different ways to install MySQL on Mac OS X. We have provided links to the most common installation methods for Mac OS X.

Using the official .pkg installer

This is the fastest method for installing MySQL on your Mac, but only available for Intel processors. MySQL.com offers a standard MacOS installer package that installs the MySQL Server and several command line utilities. The download also includes a system preference pane for starting/stopping the server. You can optionally install a startup item that starts the MySQL server when your computer starts. The download weighs about 70MB.

Install from Source

Installing a copy of MySQL from source is recommended for advanced users only. There are many advantages to compiling your own copy of MySQL, including — speed improvements, system specific customisations (e.g - machines with a small amount of RAM), and it allows you to gain access to cutting edge features/bugfixes before a PKG installer is publicly available.

MAMP / XAMPP on Mac OS X

MAMP and XAMPP are complete web development packages. They are designed to give developers an easy way to serve up PHP pages using Apache and MySQL right on their Mac. The two packages differ in the selection of utilities they include, but both of them include their own version of Apache, MySQL, and PHP.